Mingalar Inn

The Mingalar Inn is a small family run hotel that has a welcoming and relaxed vibe, with the owners often sitting out in the garden to talk, drink, and eat with travelers. While there isn't anything fancy about the property, there are some nice touches throughout the building that holds the hotel. There are carved Buddha and elephant statues everywhere, as well as bas-relief carvings like those found at Angkor Wat. The lobby is full of heavy teak wood chairs, tables, and cabinets, giving it a bit more character than some of the other budget lodgings that line the busy road outside. The rates here are some of the lowest that can be found in Siem Reap, especially without sacrificing cleanliness and privacy, making this a popular choice, particularly for its central location. Many guests here are couples on a budget making their way through Southeast Asia, and plenty of solo travelers bed down here for a couple of nights as well.

Mingalar Inn has an excellent location, just south of Siem Reap's main Old Market area and the center of this vibrant town. Pub Street -- home to all manner of debauched good times -- is only a five-minute walk from the hotel, and there are restaurants, bars, and shops lining almost every street. The road outside is very busy, but as the hotel isn't right in the middle of town, many of the constant tourist hassles involving massages and tuk-tuk solicitations can be avoided. There's a fantastic grilled chicken stall on the corner as well as excellent street food along the riverfront just opposite the Old Market. It's a fine place for a cheap meal, and the footbridges crossing the Siem Reap River or the benches in the adjacent parks are a nice place to sit and relax. Angkor Wat is a little less than 20 minutes away by car from here, and the other temples are beyond that. The airport will also take 20 minutes to reach by taxi.

There's not much difference when it comes to style between any of the rooms here. Expect to see white tile floors, solid wood accents like headboards and desks, and green or white walls hung with artwork depicting classic Cambodian scenes. Beds are made with eye-catching black-and-white bedding, and while rooms are basic, they are clean and well kept. There are several bed configurations available, and rooms are divided into Fan and Air-Conditioned Rooms -- all rooms have both, but the air-conditioning is simply turned off in Fan Rooms for a few extra dollars in savings. Modern conveniences include small flat-screen TVs, mini-fridges, safes, writing desks, and free Wi-Fi. Bathrooms aren't the best we've seen. Again, they are clean, but extremely small, and they are wet room-style bathrooms, meaning that showerheads simply jut out of the wall and empty onto the bathrooms' floors. A small bar of soap is provided, but no other toiletries. Some rooms that face the main road may pick up traffic noise early in the day.

This small guesthouse doesn't have too many features, and it's more of a place to come back and relax in the garden after a full day of sightseeing. Mingalar Inn's restaurant, the Mandalay Kitchen, has both an indoor section and a pleasant garden cafe out front. Not only can one find Khmer and Western cuisine here, but also Burmese, as one of the owners is from Myanmar. The hotel serves breakfast, but unlike many budget options in the area, it's not included in room rates. There are also a couple of computers in the lobby. An open-air fitness area on the roof might be OK for a simple workout, just keep in mind that the equipment is very old and has seen better days. The on-site travel agency has an extensive list of tours and transport at excellent prices and there's no hard sell, unlike many of the guesthouses in Siem Reap. Airport pickups are free, as is Wi-Fi.